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President to discuss political reforms with leaders of non-system opposition

On Monday, February 20, leaders of non-registered parties will meet with Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev. Newspapers write that invitations were sent to ten persons, including: leader of the Republican Party and co-chairman of PARNAS Vladimir Ryzhkov, co-chairman of PARNAS Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Green Party Anatoly Panfilov, leader of the People’s Union Sergei Baburin, and coordinator of the Left Front Sergei Udaltsov.

Boris Nemtsov told Kommersant that he received an invitation for the meeting with the president from the deputy head of the department of home affairs of the presidential administration Radii Khabirov. The official asked him to think what he would tell the president about the reform of the party legislation. “I replied at once that my speech is the same – Bolotnaya, annulment of the Duma elections, political prisoners,” Nemtsov said. “I shall tell Dmitry Anatolyevich that he would leave good memories about himself if he liberates the political prisoners. And I would suggest starting political reforms with adding an article to the Constitution banning one person to be president for more than two times in his lifetime.”

Leader of the unregistered Republican Party and co-chairman of PARNAS Vladimir Ryzhkov confirmed he had received a call from the presidential administration, from which he learned he might be invited to a discussion with the president, Moskovsky Komsomolets reports. Ryzhkov is ready to go to the meeting: “My demand will be clear: it is not necessary to be waiting for a new law on organisation of the parties, but rather register the Republican Party, liquidation of which the European Court confirmed to be illegal, as well as PARNAS, where reasons to refuse the registration were ridiculous,” the politician said. He also added that he plans to hand in to the president the resolutions adopted on the Bolotnaya Square and Sakharova Avenue.

After the president meets with the non-systemic opposition, the group of Vyacheslav Volodin will start working to finalise the presidential political initiatives, the RBC daily writes. The format of the working group of deputy head of the presidential administration Vyacheslav Volodin, organised on Thursday, is not clear as yet. It may include both written applications from the parties suggesting their ideas, or inviting their representatives for discussions in the Staraya Square. A source said that the presidential administration still had time to clear the work procedures: the first hearing of the main bills to ease political party registration is due on February 28 only, while addendums may be presented for the second hearing only.